Knowing what outfit to wear to Disney parks can drastically improve your vacation; you don’t want to be too hot, too chilly, or unprepared for water rides (or weather). Mild, mostly dry California weather gives you lots of options, and the key to west coast attire for sunny days and cool nights is this: wear layers. Florida weather changes less from day to night, and is easier to dress for in my opinion. I’ve compiled a list of what I wear and what I’ve generally seen worn in the parks, taking into account early mornings, late evenings, water rides, weather and more.
Unless it’s a Dapper Day or you’re Disney bounding, don’t worry about wearing something fancy; if you’re going to wear sparkles, wear them on your ears! (this post contains affiliate links)
SHOES
Since you’ll average 10-20,000 steps a day, pay attention to what shoes you pack. The shoes I see the most often in the parks are athletic shoes, and that’s what I wear most of the time, too. Make sure they’re worn in enough for comfort but still have a lot of structure and wear left:
Bring an extra pair of socks in your bag, just in case. Speaking from experience: if you get drenched by rain or on a water ride, it’s no fun to walk around with wet socks:
BERING Women’s No Show Socks $12.99
On hot Disney World days, I sometimes wear broken-in Birkenstocks:
Finally, consider carrying foldable flip-flops in your bag to wear on water rides like Grizzly River Rapids or Splash Mountain:
Salvatos foldable Flip Flop $19.95
DRESSING YOUR LOWER HALF
Disneyland
I have worn shorts, leggings and even jeans to Disneyland. I no longer recommend jeans because of water rides, unless you pack a poncho that will cover you head to toe (ponchos are one of our top 20 Disney park essentials).
If I wear shorts, I typically change into long pants in the evening, when it cools off. On our last Disneyland trip, I wore leggings more than anything else; they’re warm, but not so heavy they’re hot, and they dry quicker than jeans if you get them wet.
My complaint about leggings is that they typically don’t have a zipper pocket. No matter what I’m wearing on my lower half, I make sure to have zipper pockets either in my clothes, fanny pack, backpack or wherever. Once, my phone fell out of a non-zipping pants pocket on Indiana Jones, sliding all the way to the edge of the Jeep floor before we could locate it!
These leggings average 4.5 stars over 22,000 reviews for a reason: they’re awesome. I own them and they’re the perfect leggings to wear to Disneyland, as long as you have a fanny pack/backpack with a zipper pocket for your phone:
High Waisted Pocket Workout Leggings $26
Here are highly rated Amazon leggings with a zipper pocket!
Disney World
At Disney World, I wear shorts year-round; athletic shorts are my favorite because they allow for riding water rides and drying off quickly.
BALEAF Women’s 5″ Long Running Shorts with Liner
I like at least a 5″ short with a zipper pocket for my phone:
As you can see, I gravitate towards shorts or leggings, and always ensure I have a zipping pocket somewhere for my phone. I’ve also seen women wearing dresses with biker shorts underneath; at Disneyland, I’d be concerned about getting chilly at night, but this look is fun and might work for you.
DRESSING YOUR UPPER BODY
Making Magic Happen Shirt $13.99
At both Disneyland and World, I typically wear a t-shirt. This graphic t-shirt works well as a base layer; it isn’t Disney branded but captures the magical sentiment and costs less:
Disney Mickey and Minnie Mouse T-Shirt $22.99
If you want Mickey and Minnie or other characters on your tee, Amazon has loads, including this classic:
Year-round at Disneyland and during Disney World winters, I like to top my outfit off with something cozy that can easily tie around my waist or pop into my backpack when the afternoon gets warm:
Amazon Essentials Women’s Disney Pullover $26.90
This hoodie is an Amazon Essential, which means you can quickly Prime it to yourself and try it for seven days before you buy it:
To top off your outfit, you might want to consider a hat to keep the Florida or California sun off your face. I don’t like wearing hats to the parks–because you have to take them off on certain attractions and we have left them behind on rides–but if you’re sensitive to the sun on your face, don’t forget to pack a hat:
Disney Mickey Mouse Baseball Hat $19.99
What to pack for Disneyland in November or December
November is one our favorite times to visit Disneyland: our kids have a week off for Thanksgiving break, it’s not too hot, and the parks are decorated for the holidays. But November and December can bring unusually unpredictable California weather, and can bring surprising amounts of rain. Definitely check the forecast before your trip, and consider bringing a packable, lightweight raincoat as the top layer for your outfit, just in case. Rain sometimes thins out the crowds, and the parks can still be fun unless it’s an absolute downpour:
Lightweight Packable Waterproof Rain Jacket $29.99
If rain showers are in the forecast, this waterproof windbreaker can be stuffed into a packable pouch and will not take up much room in your suitcase or your backpack in the parks:
TAKEAWAYS
At Disney World, you can get away with shorts and a t-shirt year round, and maybe one extra layer on top in the winter. In California, wearing layers year-round means you’ll be prepared for warm days and chill nights at Disneyland and California Adventure. And if you forget something, you can always pop into a fun Disneyland store and pick something up as a wearable souvenir while you’re there!
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